Parental Survey: The Day-To-Day Reality of Violin or Viola Lessons
I designed this survey to give new families an idea of what to expect when seeking out a teacher, the time that process may take, and the amount of involvement parents should expect when working with their children, among many other things. Thirty-two families (with a total of 41 students) from three highly successful violin studios in the Northern Virginia region participated in this survey.
1.) How long has your child been taking lessons?
Overall Range: 5 months to 11 years
Average: 4.9 years
2.) How old was your child when he or she began taking lessons?
Overall Range: 3 years old to 11 years old
Average: 6.1 years old
3.) How long has your child been with his or her current teacher?
Overall Range: 5 months to 11 years
Average: 3.98 years
4a.) When you began looking for teachers, did you have a preference for a Suzuki or Traditional teacher?
No Preference: 10 families
Suzuki Preference: 17 families
Modified Suzuki Preference (Blend of Suzuki and Traditional Methods): 5 families
Traditional Preference: 0 families
4b.) If so, why?*
Suzuki Preference:
"Well known method for teaching violin to young children."
"Joyful, well-rounded approach to music."
"I like the theory that everyone can learn and that positive nurturing is a main focus in teaching."
"Had done some Suzuki piano as a child - knew it was a highly regarded method for teaching young children."
"Sister had two children taking Suzuki cello and liked it."
"Recommended by other parents."
"I learned piano via traditional method and wanted my child to have a different experience."
"Because Andrew Pudewa recommended it in his talks."
Modified Suzuki Preference:
"We wanted someone who taught the best of both styles."
"I was hoping to find someone who taught using the Suzuki material but also made sure the students learned how to read music
(which to me is the shortcoming of the Suzuki Method)."
"Strict Suzuki seemed too rigid."
"Each discipline/approach has unique attributes that seemed valuable."
"My brother did a Modified Suzuki program and really enjoyed it."
4c.) If not, how much did you know about the Suzuki Method?*
"Nothing. Was not familiar with the Suzuki Method."
"Very little."
"Was aware of Book One and Two repertoire, but no real knowledge about the Method."
"Had never heard of it."
5.) If you have been with multiple teachers, would you please explain the reasons and/or circumstances for switching teachers?*
"We have had two teachers. We switched because we moved from Kansas to Virginia."
"We moved."
"Teacher was intense and child was getting burned out."
"Our first two teachers moved."
"The first teacher stopped teaching private students and the second teacher moved."
"First teacher went to National Symphony Orchestra and couldn't continue to teach."
"First teacher not suited for young children! She was scary and mean!"
"Teacher #1 (5 yrs) - became too agressive - punitive/shaming techniques. Teacher #2 (1 yr) - we relocated, but not happy with teacher.
(Not a Suzuki teacher.) Teacher #3 (3 yrs) - teacher passed away."
"First teacher was very young with less extensive Suzuki training."
"1st teacher - not a good match. 2nd teacher - too far away."
"N/A": 10 families
No Response: 11 families
6.) How long did it take you to find your current teacher?
Overall Range: Immediately - 1.5 years
Average: 2 months
7a.) Did you interview other teachers before committing to your current teacher?
Yes: 13 families
No: 19 families
7b.) If so, how many teachers did you interview?
Overall Range: 1 - 7 teachers
Average: 2 teachers
8a.) Did you observe lessons with your teacher before becoming a part of the studio?
Yes: 27 families
No: 5 families
8b.) If so, how many lessons did you observe?
Note: Results reflect total number of lessons observed and do not distinguish between private or group lessons.
Overall Range: 1 - 10 lessons
Average: 2 lessons
9a.) Did you observe lessons in other studios?
Yes: 24 families
No: 5 families
No Response: 3 families
9b.) If so, how many lessons did you observe?
Overall Range: 1 - 7 lessons
Average: 3 lessons
10.) Why did you choose to go with your current teacher?*
"[The teacher] is gentle and my son was very shy. Her approach is a good one for him."
"We felt a synergy with [the teacher]. She is enthusiastic, encouraging and my son felt comfortable."
"[The teacher] had an extensive repertoire of 'tricks' for teaching techniques which she adapted to suit each student's needs."
"Liked the teacher's philosophy."
"[The teacher] was very gifted with young children. Her personality and approach was a good fit for our child."
"On the recommendation of a friend, and [the teacher] is really good."
"I liked [the teacher's] approach to teaching music and the way she relates to my child. Very patient while still having high expectations."
"Trusted that she was a competent teacher, per student referral; personality well-suited to my son's; teacher is gentle, considerate,
teaches by asking questions, brings out artistry; provides group activities and bonding; helps students prepare for exams."
"She had an excellent reputation as a teacher, but we also liked her as a person."
"Because [the teacher] is fantastic - experienced, patient, very knowledgeable, and a great player."
"We enjoyed the rapport [the teacher] had with each of the three students we observed. She has a great sense of humor and knows how
to connect with younger students all the way up to teenagers."
"[The teacher] came highly recommended by our school's instrumental teacher. [The teacher] was also wonderful to my daughter during our
observation."
"Friends of ours took lessons from [the teacher]."
"[The teacher] was nice, kind, funny, patient, and geographically closest."
"Personality, openings, recommendation."
"Personality, style [of instruction], flexibility, proximity."
"1st, I was looking for a teacher whose personality would compliment my daughter's so that a trusting and positive relationship could be
developed. I think the relationship of the teacher and student can make or break success at the early stages. Once a trusting
relationship is developed, i believe the teacher can teach anything. The method, is of course, important, but I think a good
relationship with a teacher trumps method every time. 2nd, I do like the Modified Suzuki approach. It gives the students an edge in
preparation for playing in an orchestral setting and further study of the instrument."
Families with students 11 years old or younger: (22 families)
11.) How often do you sit in on lessons?
a.) always: 20 families
b.) most of the time: 0
c.) occasionally: 2 families (Comments: "From age 7-10, always. Since 11, occasionally." "Occasionally, due to a younger, distracting sibling."
d.) never: 0
12.) How often does your child practice?
a.) every day: 5 families
b.) 5-6 days a week: 11 families
c.) 3-4 days a week: 6 families
d.) 2 days a week: 0
e.) less than 2 days a week: 0
13.) For how much time does your child practice?
a.) 45 minutes to an hour: 1 family
b.) 30-45 minutes: 10 families
c.) 15-30 minutes: 10 families
e.) less than 15 minutes: 1 family
14.) How often do you practice with your child?
a.) always: 7 families
b.) most of the time: 9 families
c.) occasionally: 4 families
d.) never: 2 families
Families with students 12 year old or older: (16 families)
11a.) How often did you sit in on lessons in the first several years of instruction?
a.) always: 16 families
b.) most of the time: 0
c.) occasionally: 0
d.) never: 0
11b.) How often do you sit in on lessons now?
a.) always: 6 families (Comment from one family: "Always, but only because his brother's lesson follows and I sit through his."
b.) most of the time: 8 families
c.) occasionally: 1 family
d.) never: 1 family
12a.) How often did your child practice in the first several years of lessons?
a.) every day: 3 families
b.) 5-6 days a week: 9 families
c.) 3-4 days a week: 4 families
d.) 2 days a week: 0
e.) less than 2 days a week: 0
12b.) How often does your child practice now?
a.) every day: 2 families
b.) 5-6 days a week: 7 families
c.) 3-4 days a week: 7 families
d.) 2 days a week: 0
e.) less than 2 days a week: 0
13a.) For how much time did your child practice in the first several years of lessons?
a.) 45 minutes to an hour: 0
b.) 30-45 minutes: 7 families
c.) 15-30 minutes: 8 families
d.) less than 15 minutes: 1 family
13b.) For how much time does your child practice now?
a.) 45 minutes to an hour: 5 families
b.) 30-45 minutes: 9 families
c.) 15-30 minutes: 2 families
d.) less than 15 minutes: 0
14a.) How often did you practice with your child in the first several years of lessons?
a.) always: 12 families
b.) most of the time: 3 families
c.) occasionally: 1 family
d.) never: 0
14b.) How often do you practice with your child now?
a.) always: 0
b.) most of the time: 1 family
c.) occasionally: 9 families
d.) never: 6 families
Parents of all children:
15.) How would you rate your time commitment to your child's violin or viola studies in the first several years of instruction?
a.) very high: 20 families
b.) high: 9 families
c.) moderate: 4 families
d.) low: 0
16a.) How would you rate your musical background?
Note: Two survey participants ranked each parent separately.
a.) I am a professional musician: 5 families
b.) highly skilled amateur (still active): 5 families
c.) skilled, but not currently playing: 8 families
d.) studied some as a child: 9 families
e.) no musical background to speak of: 7 families
16b.) If you have studied an instrument in the past, please specify your instrument(s):
piano (26)
violin (6)
clarinet (5)
flute (4)
organ (2)
voice (2)
bass (1)
cello (1)
cornetto (1)
euphonium (1)
guitar (1)
oboe (1)
trumpet & baroque trumpet (1)
viola (1)
17a.) Has your child experienced frustrations at any time during this process?
Yes: 25 families
No: 6 families
No Response: 1 family
17b.) If so, would you please elaborate:*
"Not wanting to practice."
"Practice is hard, especially in the beginning - technique, body, hands, fingers, etc."
"Practicing is not always fun. Staying motivated and positive takes lots of work sometimes!"
"The lessons are great, but practicing is almost always frustrating at home."
"My son wants to be good right away. Especially for young children, it is hard to understand that progress is made through practice."
"It took my daughter 3 years to get through Book 1 Suzuki, but we never quit. Now she is in Book 6 and is really starting to
play beautifully."
"My son has a boiling point I often couldn't gauge. I had to learn to cut losses sometimes during practice and go do something else."
"My daughter is a perfectionist and gets angry when she doesn't grasp a technique or rhythm."
"Some, mostly with regard to confidence that she can master rhythms of a new piece. We clap and count over and over, but I think
realizing her commitment to succeed helps her to keep going."
"Mostly with trying to develop vibrato, which has never really seemed to "click", despite practice."
"Hard time focusing and resisting any help/advice strongly."
"Not so much frustrated with violin, but with our insistence on doing things correctly (when we stop him)."
"For all three of my children, time commitment (practicing/performances) was frustrating because of conflict with play/fun time."
"Was difficult especially during 2nd and 3rd years. Regular practice, esp. as musical difficulty increases, can be tedious - hard to balance
school and other interests."
"After four years, my child was burned out and was ready to quit. We switched instructors. (The decision to either keep up lessons or
quit was a difficult decision.) She didn't learn anything at first, but it kept her involved until she was ready for more of a challenge. "
"Frustrations learning to read music."
"My daughter wasn't interested in the type of music she was learning."
18a.) Have you experienced frustrations at any time during this process?
Yes: 27 families
No: 5 families
18b.) If so, would you please elaborate:*
"Trying to get my son to practice."
"Coming up with ideas to make practicing fun is hard!"
"My own inability to make sure they get in their practice."
"I wish we had more time to practice!"
"My frustrations are associated with my personal time constraints to sit and practice together during every practice session. I have found
that sending her to practice on her own for 10-15 minutes and then having her work with me for the remaining 15 minutes is
helpful for both of us."
"I sometimes get frustrated when he procrastinates about practicing - or when he doesn't put in as much effort as I think he should."
"Sometimes when my son is being silly or not in the mood to practice (usually tired)."
"Getting my daughter to practice and focus during practice is sometimes challenging. Even though she wants to play the violin, practicing
isn't always her favorite, especially after a long day at school."
"Losing my patience."
"Yes. Often the parent is ready to quit. Keep going even if experiencing a plateau."
"In times of frustration, the decision to keep up lessons or quit is a difficult decision."
"Suzuki Book One is hard. I never thought we'd get through it."
"Sometimes my daughter's progress has been painfully slow."
"I expected linear progress. That has not been the case. Interest level and progress can plateau, even wane before a surge in
improvement occurs."
"I often underestimate the difficulty of a particular technique/rhythm/piece and expect more rapid progress than is realistic. I find it easy
to ignore warning signals from my child."
"Yes, rarely. When my son is not getting something fixed as discussed in his lesson."
"I put my son in a chamber group and his technique went to the garbage can for a year!"
"Driving 12-15 miles in all weather for lessons."
19.) If you answered "yes" to either question 17 or 18, please describe how you dealt with those frustrations and with what degree of success.*
"Talk to the teacher who has lots of experience."
"Teacher had unique methods to help student. She gave us candy and made us feel welcome/comfortable."
"We'd usually take a break and do something else, coming back later to practice violin."
"Take a short break and acknowledge difficulty."
"We use a lot of humor, lots of charts, lots of rewards."
"For the days when we are especially tired or having trouble focusing, we just hit the basics and keep it short."
"I stopped getting into a 'battle of the wills' and have realized he's responsible for his own practicing. I'll always help him if he needs it,
but I'm not as involved as I used to be and practice time has become much happier for both of us."
"At first I pushed harder, but that backfired. I have learned to let my daughter learn the value of good practice on her own a bit more."
"Asking her to first do what she can on her own and then coming in to offer my help/reminders from the lesson helps me to see what she
remembers and where she needs help. It also helps me to be flexible with demands on my time."
"Games, walks outside, a snack were good ways to break tension. Sometimes, I would try to play his piece which made him laugh and
realize how good he really was at playing."
"Our child has an older student who mentors her 3-4 times a month. We also try to get together outside of group lessons with friends
her age that also play."
"Always hang in there. Never quit."
"Don't give in on making practice time part of the daily routine like brushing teeth. Come up with games that make them think that they
decide what to practice next."
"Just keep going. Invent games. Make practice shorter."
"Remind that lessons are a privilege, not a right, and also try to ensure that practice, like homework, comes before other 'distractions'."
"Set up boundaries and schedules to adhere to for practice time."
"Help the kids manage their time. As parents, try to strike a balance, but more often than not, it is the 'parental involvement' component
of the Suzuki program that gets short shrift."
"Tried to be encouraging. Praised him when he had successes, shared my own failures."
"Gave examples of people my child admires and explained they became good with practice also. Also pointed out times my child was
learning something new. We thought back to when he wasn't as good. Example: bike riding."
20.) Are you happy with the progress your child has made over the course of his or her instruction?
Yes: 29 ("Very!" (4); "Extremely happy." (1); "Yes, absolutely!" (1); "Definitely." (1))
No: 0
No Response: 1
Other Comments: 2 "Slower than expected." "If the children would practice more, their results would be much better."
21a.) If you would do it over again, would you do anything differently?
Yes: 16
No: 12
No Response: 4
21b.) If so, what would you do?*
"More patience!"
"We did a lot of things right, but I would try to have more patience with him during practice sessions when he was younger."
"I would just try to be more patient, but I think I am lucky because I am a musician and can appreciate hurdles - technically & musically."
"Perhaps start a few months later, around age 6."
"I wish we had found the right teacher fit from the very beginning."
"Play with my child, learn the technique, too."
"I would like to know more music to help my child better."
"More practice at home."
"Yes, I think my approach to working with my daughter would be different. Instead of telling her what to do, asking her questions like,
'How do you think you did?', 'What do you need to keep in mind in this piece?', 'What would the teacher point out?'. Questions like
that make my daughter feel empowered to learn to succeed on her own."
"Start with the Suzuki method."
"Establish single time of day (probably morning) for practice."
"I would try to be less critical and more encouraging. Many practice sessions ended in tears because I pointed out problems too much."
"[I would] not allow practice time to erupt into conflict during 2nd and 3rd years of instruction."
"Push more ensemble playing and church performances or other opportunities. Would try to attend more violin performances."
"Try to get better quality violins for the children sooner."
22.) What advice would you offer new students and families?
"Encourage and nurture a love of music within the family. Go to concerts. Introduce different kinds of music. It's the love of music that will
inspire your child to want to learn. Don't let yourself or your child get discouraged. Some practice days will be better than others,
but if you keep at it a little each day your child will progress at the pace that is right for them."
"Be patient and stay positive and acknowledge the work, even in small ways. Buy a violin and play with your child."
"Refrain from criticism, from saying something is 'good' or 'bad'. Ask them questions designed to help them think about what they are doing."
"Look for a Suzuki teacher or at least a Suzuki trained teacher because I've found them to make learning fun so struggles aren't devastating."
"Don't give up! If your child is interested, keep plugging away. There will be highs and lows - it takes a few years to begin to play well."
"Listen and learn from an experienced teacher. Make practice as fun/interesting as possible. Read as much as you can by Suzuki/Starr as
well as How To Get Your Child To Practice Without Resorting To Violence. Go to camps."
"Practice at home as much as possible."
"Set up positive associations with practicing. Provide performance opportunities in groups. Listen to lots of good music. Attend concerts."
"It's a big time commitment, but worth it."
"Do it!!"
"Music is to be enjoyed! Enjoy your lesson and practice - and don't give up! Show enthusiasm for every success made by your child."
"Keep at it even when your child periodically seems disinterested or has hit a plateau."
"You have to have a commitment to the long term. There are peaks and valleys. Every child is different."
"Find a sponsor!"
"The beginning is hard and time consuming and not always happy. But sticking to it really pays off and eventually you'll hear and enjoy
the results."
"Find the right teacher for your child."
"Be patient with each other. Take baby steps and reward progress at every step of the way."
"Find a good teacher that is a good match for your child."
"Best results when both student and family can invest time daily. It has become 'special' time together - no phone, no interruptions."
"Do Suzuki!"
"Be patient."
"Patience, go Suzuki; participate in group activities; be supportive of student and teacher."
"Make it fun."
"Make sure you are comfortable talking with the teacher."
"Expose your child to classical radio and free concerts around town. Create a stress-free environment for them to practice in. Really listen
to them."
"Aim for perfect form (this is no harder than bad form) while you practice right from the start."
*Answers are representative and based on frequency of similar responses.
